A Different Fate
by skyoria
Summary: Running away wasn't the answer for Aang: it would still leave him separated from Gyatso. His decision to stay will have consequences.


**A/N: This is for Round 2 of the Probending Circuit. **

**Team: Ba Sing Se Badgermoles**

**Position: Firebender- Different Avatar AU**

**Prompts:**

** (word) Kick-1**

**(word) Laughter-1**

**(color) Aqua-2**

**Word Count w/out AN: 888**

* * *

The storm was fierce, rain pelting the temple walls, and the wind howling so strongly even a master Airbender would think twice about following him. Tonight was perfect.

Aang paused after laying down the note on his bed. Should he really do this? Could he? Could he really leave Gyatso? Aang frowned, watching as lightning stuck a nearby mountain and gripping his staff tighter in his hands, decided his fate. No, he couldn't.

He snatched up the note before crumpling it and shoving it inside his robes. Aang turned around and walked out his door, staff in hand. Not without Gyatso.

Outside, light split the sky, thunder cracked and the boy in the iceberg, never came to be.

* * *

Screams filled the icy halls once more, as scores of people waited with baited breath. Suddenly, there was silence. It was too silent. The murmurs began to start; The worry could clearly be seen on every face. Everyone present released a combined sigh of relief, when the wails of a newborn babe, were finally heard.

* * *

A little boy, couldn't have been more than five, came tearing down the hall, at a breakneck pace. He slipped only a little on the icy floor, rounding the corner, before pausing. Back against the wall, he caught his breath and looked back around the corner. His dark brown hair falling into his aqua colored eyes a bit, as several strands had come loose in his mad dash.

"Kaito!" A girl screamed from down the hall.

The little boy's eyes got wide, as a grin grew on his face; being the only bender in his family made pranking, so much more fun. He quickly turned and dashed away, heading towards a set of large, ornate, double doors. As he neared the doors he slowed, taking up a more regular, if a little quick, pace. The little boy, Kaito, opened the doors as calmly as he could and shut them casually behind himself. Still breathing a bit heavily, he made his way through the crowd, over to a couple that could only be his parents.

The pair were dressed ornately, just as everyone else in the room was, but there was something in their air and the way they spoke. This was the great Northern Water Tribe, and this couple, it's rulers. It was easy to tell who the boy got his looks from; everyone told him how much he looked just like his father did at that age. However, there was a certain glint in his eye, that he could've only been inherited from his mother.

The man raised a brow at the boy's approach. "Where's your sister? You were supposed to come with her." Kaito gave him an innocent smile and opened his mouth to answer, when suddenly, the double doors that Kaito had just previously entered through, burst open. The noise drew the attention of almost everyone in the room-some simply being too drunk to notice.

A girl was there, fuming. Her glare instantly zoning in on her target. She looked to be about 12, with similar looks to Kaito, albeit softer and missing the stunning aqua color of his eyes. Although, now she looked anything but soft. Anger radiated off her in waves as she stalked towards Kaito, who was standing there like a perfectly innocent angel, next to their parents.

"There you are you little brat! Fix it! Fix it now, before I kick you so hard, you land on the other side of the wall!" Kaito's elder sister yelled at him, as she stalked closer and closer. All Kaito did was smile up at her. After blinking, he casually turned his gaze around the room. His sister's horrified eyes met those of their parents.

Their father spoke, "Hello Yuzuki, thank you for joining us. That's quite an-" He cleared his throat, trying valiantly to salvage the situation and pick the correct words. He came up blank however, and glanced at his wife, who had been staring at their daughter's head the entire time.

Finally, she spoke up, "My dear girl, what a beautiful ice sculpture rendition of the giant squid's underwater dance. I do believe that you could start a new hair fashion. Why don't we go back to your room and you can tell me all about the amazing sculptor."

She shot a glance at her son, whose eyes were full of laughter. "Kaito, perhaps you would like to come? I know how you adore precision waterbending, such as this." Her tone brokered no argument and left Kaito with no choice, but to follow.

It was not even five minutes later, when another scream was heard, sounding much more frightened than angry. It caused the guards to come running into the Princess' room, only to find a sheepish prince, a shocked mother and a slightly singed and drenched Princess. The Princess Yuzuki's hair looked shorter and like the ends had been burned off- which it had.

In an attempt to pretend to help, Kaito had mimed firebending to 'melt' his amazing sculpture, and actually produced some fire, aimed straight at his sister's head. He quickly splashed her with water to put out the fire, leaving Yuzuki drenched and the room smelling like burnt hair.

Kaito looked at the guards and pulled out a sheepish smile, before simply stating, "Oops."

* * *

**A/N: Okay so... this is not at all what it started out to be. If anyone was wondering what exactly Kaito did to his sister; you know how when it's really cold outside and you go out with wet hair it'll freeze? Kaito waterbended her hair into squid shape when it was wet &amp; froze it that way.**


End file.
